Crock Pot Question

I don't think you have to. The crock pot is supposed to get hot enough so the ambient temperature inside the pot is above 140 degrees. It is sort of like a Dutch oven that way. My problem with crock pots is that they take so long to get up to temperature so a large, thick and solid piece of meat could, theoretically, be at an unsafe temperate for too long. For this reason, I stay away from large pieces of meat.

The only time I put that much liquid is when I am making italian beef. Any other time I I just add enough liquid to cover the metal slotted plate thingy that I have in mine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookie2 

I don't think you have to. The crock pot is supposed to get hot enough so the ambient temperature inside the pot is above 140 degrees. It is sort of like a Dutch oven that way. My problem with crock pots is that they take so long to get up to temperature so a large, thick and solid piece of meat could, theoretically, be at an unsafe temperate for too long. For this reason, I stay away from large pieces of meat.

40 to 140 degrees is the bacteria danger zone however, after it reaches 155 for 8 (I think that is the right number) minutes it is ok and there is no harm. This is unless of course it sits at room temperature for hours and hours. Then amount of time it takes the crock pot to heat is generally fine. Serve safe certified.

I never add much liquid to large pieces of meat, maybe a cup at the most and often none at all. I find the juices that come off the meat are usually sufficient, I do check it now and then and if the meat is not letting off enough juices, I will add a little water. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by raetonycass 

40 to 140 degrees is the bacteria danger zone however, after it reaches 155 for 8 (I think that is the right number) minutes it is ok and there is no harm. This is unless of course it sits at room temperature for hours and hours. Then amount of time it takes the crock pot to heat is generally fine. Serve safe certified.

Actually, any food that isn't shelf stable - under 40 degrees F or over 140 degrees F - for no more than 2 hours and that is cumulative. People have gotten food poisoning from even baked potatoes that were wrapped in foil but not kept at the proper temperature. The food-born pathogen was hiding under the skin.

Don't put frozen meat in the crock pot. It doesn't defrost in time and it stays in the danger zone temperature too long. Heating a food to 155 degrees - no matter how long - doesn't matter unless you're making jerky. When it cools below 140 degrees it'll be dangerous again.

Frozen meat in a crock pot is seriously unsafe. If you don't believe me ...

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/safetysanitation/p/slowcooksafe.htm

And there are many, many other scientific-based recommendations against such a practice. As a matter of fact, one reference I read recommends against even a whole refrigerated chicken. I've seen so many unsafe recipes for so many different cooking methods, just because it is on a blog, that doesn't mean it is safe. The next case of "stomach flu" could kill you or cause permanent injury (blindness, kidney failure, liver damage, chronic inflammatory arthritis - among others IF you live.)

"Don't put frozen or partially thawed meat or poultry into a slow cooker — they take longer to get to 165°F, and can also cool everything in the slow cooker. That's like building a bacteria playground."
 

I agree with you about frozen meat. Actually, you should generally not cook any large pieces of meat frozen but rather safely thawed. You should also wait for any hot food to cool before putting it in the fridge or freezer so that the heat radiating from it doesn't raise the temp of other foods or the refrigerator itself. As you point out potatoes, potatoes and rice are two of the worst foods for food poisoning. Something I often do when I am cooking a whole fryer or a roast in my crock pot is fill the crock with the hottest water possible from the faucet and turn the temp on high for 30 min. I dump the water and put in my foods. Gives it a jump start on heating up/